1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a device for the mechanical processing of fish and introducing the same into cans, especially of small bulk fish like sardines, herrings, sprats or the like for preserving or conserving in preparation ready for consumption, the device comprising a rotatingly driven conveyor guided around deflection elements and comprising at least three conveyor portions defining two outer and at least one inner portion, each guided parallel to each other, driven synchronously and having trough elements which are arranged in a complementary manner with respect to each other to form troughs receiving the fish to be processed, the inner trough elements being flanked by at least one of the two outer trough elements and forming a slot with the latter, the device also comprising cutting means for separating head and tail from each fish and including at least two knives which each penetrate one of the slots between two trough elements down to beneath the base surface of the same, the device further comprising a gutting station for removing the innards from the fish rumps and including two suction heads arranged on the sides of the knife slots and coming into working relationship with the beheading surface of the rump pieces in order to remove the innards, and the device further comprising a transfer station for introducing the fish rumps positioned in the troughs into cans advanced in a timed manner with the troughs.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is an essential aim in the manufacture of fish preserves or conserves in the form of cans with parts of fish, especially of rump pieces prepared ready for consumption to gain a fish content in weight of as small or narrow a tolerance as possible. This can be achieved in that fish of differing size are put together instinctively with regard to the portion weight in portions of three or four fish according to a certain packing pattern from which can-adapted or -sized fish portions of uniform length are cut by separating head and tail. For reasons of better optical presentation it is aimed to put together the portions from fish of at least nearly the same size. For this reason as well as with regard to the adjustment of the desired fish content a presorting of the fish according to size classification is carried out so that a rather small weight tolerance can be achieved with pieces of uniform length. If other size fish are to be processed then the observance of the tolerance can be essentially secured by changing the piece length and/or the packing pattern.
A device with the above stated classification feature can be taken from Spanish utility model application no. 250 008 (6). In this device fish introduced into troughs of the desired type are guided to a cutting device which compromises two circular knives penetrating into the slots between the troughs elements. A gutting device in the form of a suction device is positioned downstream of the cutting device, which suction device comprises two suction heads arranged in the cutting plane of the circular knives, the suction heads come into functional relationship with the beheading surfaces of the rump pieces.
If an adjustment for a different size of fish is to be carried out it is disadvantageous in this machine that the adjustment or setting of the desired fish content is very time-consuming and can only be carried out when the machine is stopped. Furthermore it cannot be avoided that single troughs are not occupied which has the consequence that the corresponding cans advanced in time with the troughs remain empty. This is especially disadvantageous with a machine which is interlinked, e.g. with a continuous flow installation for treating the can contents and a subsequent device for introducing sauce and seaming the cans.
3. Objects of the Invention
Due to the demand for a quick treatment of the fish to be processed which is especially important in tropical or subtropical regions for reasons of freshness it is a main object of the invention to suggest a device with the help of which rump pieces can be introduced into the cans efficiently, maintaining the packing pattern predetermined when the fish are introduced into the cans. Another object of the invention lies in that a simple adaptation of the length of the rump pieces can be effected which can be carried out while the machine is in operation should be achieved. It is a further object of the invention to improve the downstream gutting device with regard to its efficiency.